IT'S EARTH DAY EVERYDAY!!

Aloha Maui Girl,
Just make sure they plant those trees in the correct place. Trees are responsible for 33% of the Methane gas in the atmosphere. Methane gas is the second most important greenhouse gas. It is a great thing to add trees in the tropic regions of the planet but more trees in the northern hemisphere can actually add to global warming.

http://www.terradaily.com/reports/Trees_To_Offset_The_Carbon_Footprint_999.html

Aloha David,
The web site for GreenDimes has a map of where they are now planting trees.
The lower 48, Central America, Africa, India, South America. Check it out.
Mahalo

For Earth Day, I'm driving my Hummer H2 up the coast to San Francisco and back. But like others I'm using carbon offset credits so it's all good.

LOL. You go promoguy!

Promoguy,
when you come down next time, I hope I can buy you a beer. Your post cracked me up. BTW, love OC. I visit often.

I am all for cleaning up, and being responsible, but this bit about carbon credits is about the funniest thing yet that has come up regarding the environmental issue. I worry more about these issues in China and India than the US. More bang for the buck in getting 'green' in those countries than the US IMO.

Will be down end of June for two weeks on STJ. Your beers will not be turned down.

I actually live in the San Fernando Valley.

Oh, and by the way, don't encourage me on my posting. LOL

There is a study done by the Forestry Commission in England in response to the subject of Forests and Methane,
and to balance out David's research on that subject you can go to their web-site at:
www. forestry.gov.uk

Maui Girl,
Are you going to join Sheryl Crowe on her 1 Toilet Paper Square per restroom visit crusade to save trees and the planet??

C'mon, can't we all just hold hands and sing "Kumbaya?"

To be fair, Ms Crowe did allow for more than one square (2 or 3?) for those really 'pesky' visits to the rest room, whatever that means.....I don't think she went into details.

Oh for goodness' sake. Yes we who live here do care. Yes, many of us do write. Can we just get off this and go beddybye! XXX

No nighty night for me.......I've got to work off a few more carbon credits for those poor folks in Angola. I should have all of them used up in a few days.........but this driving of my SUV 24 hours staight just to help those poor folks is making me very tired. But as usual, I'm for the common man and well, that's where many comman man lives.

Edited to mean carbon offset credits. Don't want the Gorecles to think I wasn't doing as much as he was doing for the environment.....

I just want to know, who gets the blame for global warming on Mars? The ice caps are melting on Mars, but there are no humans there to cause any green house gasses.

You migh have notice that the sun is getting hotter, scientists say. But that seams to have nothing to do with global warming. Go figure.

By the way, I've got carbon forgiveness certificates, if anyone wants them. Only $10.00 per ton of carbon you create, and you will be forgiven for it.

Elwyn

You guys are all a bunch of silly coconut heads!! I laughed so hard about the toliet paper.
I feel so guilty for all the times my sons threw whole rolls down the john when they were little. I have so much to make up for, believe me!!

Hello,

I believe the original post started with the subject of "trash", the making of trash, and the consequences we all have to live with because of it.
I have lived both in Puerto Rico and Hawaii (Oahu) while working for the U.S. Gov. And, having sailed and scuba'd in and around the V.I.'s and other Carribean nations, have witness the disregard of the oceans and islands by both tourists and islanders, industry and governments with the convienent disposal of personal and other refuse.
While some folks seem only to want to point fingers in every direction but there own, or, choose to make jokes, I would personally ask them to be a little more insightful and offer up other ways to help. Each individual can change there own habits.
My question is to ISLANDER.
I will be hooking up with old friends again on P.R., and our plans are to sail around your beautiful islands again.
Can you be so "helpful" as to direct my friends and I, to places that accept trash from the bare-boaters. Some of whom I have seen dumping their own overboard in the past.
It would be most apprieciated by those of us who care.
Thanks in advance

Hello Smith,

For the VI National Park: Trash being disposed of from vessels may not exceed two 10-gallon bags and must fit inside NPS trash containers identified for vessel trash in Cruz Bay, Francis Bay, Leinster Bay, Salt Pond and Little Lameshur Bay. You can find this information at http://www.friendsvinp.org/park/viis_compendium_2005_final.pdf.

I'll ask around for the other islands and get back to you.

--Islander

so what do they want you to do if you have more trash? Dump it overboard?

You don't have to tell me about trash. When I lived in Nags Head, NC, I would metal detect the beach. I found and picked up loads of trash, people left on the beach. Some people would dig down a foot to bury a soda can instead of putting it back in the cooler. They would have a fit if I put that trash in their yard, but they have no problem leaving it on the beach, or where ever.

And the day after the 4th of July was like going Thru an obstacle course. the metal rods left from sparklers would be every where. Them being trash was bad enough, but pointy metal objects in the sand for people to step on? Not good.

Elwyn

Difference between NC and some beaches such as those on STX is that the trash on STX washes ashore. That is tougher to control. Who knows where it comes from. I hear many stories. Having properties on both shores, I understand your point.

Thank you Islander,

Do you know if the trash containers for bare-boaters also include any for recyclable items, as we separate our trash out of habit.
Looking forward to any other information for the other islands on where to put our refuse. We'd liked to be assured we are welcomed guests.
Thanks

There isn't much in the way of recycling here because it is cost-prohibitive for stateside recyclers to get our recyclables to their plants for reprocessing.

Hello again,

I most humbly acknowledge that you residents of the U.S.V.I care about, and love your islands.

I am a retired carpenter from So. Calif. and this subject came up for me again personally because I am re-visiting the Carribean, and the timing coincides with my wonderful city Los Angeles, being named as the worst city for air pollution in the nation.

I was curious about what the last poster said about not having recycling programs on your islands because of cost effectiveness, and because I used to live in Hawaii, which is the most isolated island chain in the world, I looked up the things that they might be doing, to see if there was an insight to how they may have accomplished the need for solutions of material waste, hazardous toxins, limited landfill sites, and the partnership of community, the contruction industry, tourism, agriculture, and the state and federal governments role in making it happen.

I also looked up recycling for the Carribean islands. And the only thing that appears to be happening with some success in your backyard so to speak, is a plant run by Antilles Recyclage, who recycles glass on Sint Maarten.

Maui also has a new start-up program called "ReMade in Maui". Contributing to jobs for the islanders in regard to the creative and necessary re-use of some material waste.

I am looking forward to visiting your islands again, as I haven't had a truly nice vacation in years.

Best of Luck

The population of the Hawaiian Islands is approximately 1.5 million people. The population of the USVI is approximately 100,000 people. That's why the Hawaiian Islands have department stores, stateside-style grocery stores, highways, recycling programs, etc. Population density has plusses and minuses.

In reply to your reply,

The Commonwealth of Puerto Rico had about 3 million people when I lived there and now is well over 3,900,000.
And since they are in such close proximity to the U.S.V.I which of course is it's own Commonwealth of l00,000, that makes the combined total over 4 million people under the umbrella of the United States.

Yes, I realized the majority is not as highly educated as the minority nor, do they command the wealth or, wealth of services the minority seems to require to insure their prosperity and comfort. It's very hard to convince the majority of their needed place in the community care of their islands because of what they perceive as apathy or separateness from those who not choose to be involved in the bigger picture.

Why would you encourage investment or tourism, if you didn't have a system in place to deal with it's overall impact. Taking advantage of even those two aspects of revenue has big returns. Many hands make it happen.

While I know that the large part of the Carribean is very much 3rd world, I would ask why you would not seek to be in partnership with the combined U.S. Commonwealths to be leaders of this beautiful but endangered region in the area of recycling.

I certainly don't mind paying extra for alcohol and tee-shirts, and I don't think most of your visitors would either.
And, I'm just talking about small stuff here x's the amount of visitors alone, who also bring in a lot of stuff on their own to add to the heap.

A friend and I are thinking of investing together there as a possible place to live. I would like to think our money is helping the islands and not just exploiting them.

Smith